Blogs
No cogent plan for offshore wind
16 October 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
MNRE has again revised offshore wind plans and outlined alternative project development models. The revised target is to auction 37 GW capacity by FY 2030, up from 30 GW as announced last year, primarily off the coast of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Three different models are proposed…
Rooftop solar market stagnant
09 October 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
As per our latest data collection exercise for rooftop solar market, total capacity addition in the 12-month period ending June 2023 was about 2,540 MW, up only 1% YOY. The residential market witnessed steady growth with annual installations totaling 797 MW (up 21% YOY) but the corporate installations were down 6% YOY at 1,743 MW. Total installed capacity is estimated to have reached…
Indian green hydrogen standards will need to catch up
25 September 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
MNRE has announced the widely awaited green hydrogen standard for India. The standard –covering only green hydrogen production stage and excluding all pre and post-production emissions – has been set at an average of 2 kg CO2e/ kg over 12 months. No standards have been defined for derivative products like green ammonia and...
Energy storage framework needs more oomph
18 September 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
The Ministry of Power has issued a framework for promoting energy storage to support integration of variable renewable power capacity. The framework mostly seeks to combine the different policies and plans already announced – energy storage obligation of 4% by FY 2030, projected capacity of 74 GW/ 411 GWh by FY 2032 in line with...
Solar capacity addition to boom over next two years
21 August 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
India added 2,206 MW solar capacity in Q2 2023, 40% lower YOY, declining QOQ for five straight quarters in a row. Main culprit for the slowdown was utility scale solar, which added a mere 420 MW in the quarter. Open access was the saviour with volumes jumping steadily and outpacing utility scale capacity addition for the first time since the start of 2023.
Lucrative module export opportunity waiting to be tapped
14 August 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Indian module exports have been on the way up for a year now. Q2 2023 export volume amounted to 1.3 GW modules, up 1,492% YOY. Total exports in the year ending June 2023 were estimated at 4.3 GW, up from just 247 MW in the previous year. Share of exports in total module production has now increased to 45% from just 4% in the previous year…
Enough room for more players in the OA market
07 August 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
There has been a slew of new entrants in the open access (OA) market over the last two years. Vedanta, a large industrial conglomerate has set up a dedicated platform, Serentica Renewables, to decarbonise group companies. International IPPs like BrightNight, Ampyr and AB Energia have entered the market recently and are already developing 100+ MW capacities across multiple states.
Duty battles linger in upstream solar supply chain
31 July 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), Ministry of Commerce, has initiated an anti-dumping probe into import of solar aluminium frames originating from China. The investigation period will cover FY 2023, while injury duration period will cover four years from FY 2019-2023. A petition for the probe was…
Captive policy – time to reevaluate
24 July 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Madhya Pradesh has recently issued a detailed procedure to verify captive status of renewable projects every year to ensure compliance with requirements as per the Electricity Act – minimum collective 26% equity ownership and 51% power offtake by respective consumers(s). In May 2023, Punjab had issued somewhat similar criteria to verify the captive status but went one step further. It mandated captive consumers to furnish…
SECI seeking new frontiers with a ‘firm’ renewable power tender
17 July 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
SECI has issued a first-of-its-kind tender for procuring 500 MW ‘firm and dispatchable’ renewable power. The tender specifies a fixed hourly demand profile across the year, unchanged during the 25-year PPA term (see figure). Project developers must meet at least 90% of total hourly demand on a monthly basis. Penalty for any further shortfall is stipulated at 1.5x PPA tariff…
Electrolyser subsidy – what’s the point?
12 July 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
MNRE has issued details of an INR 44 billion (USD 537 million) subsidy scheme for domestic electrolyser manufacturing. The scheme will be operational from FY 2026 to FY 2030. In the first tranche, 50% of subsidy funds shall be allocated to a manufacturing capacity of 1.5 GW. Domestically produced electrolysers shall receive a fixed subsidy based on year of production…
Green hydrogen subsidy too little to make an impact
03 July 2023 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
MNRE has released details of first tranche of the subsidy scheme for green hydrogen production. Total funding support of up to INR 54 billion (USD 659 million) will be offered to annual production capacity of 450,000 metric tonnes (MT), 9% of 2030 target. Subsidy will be capped at INR 50, 40 …
